Bank of America to "review conditions" after death of intern

By
Euronews

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has said it is reviewing its working conditions following the death of a German intern.

Moritz Erhardt from south west Germany was found dead at his London accommodation, after allegedly working for 72 hours without sleep.

A post mortem is being carried out to determine the exact cause of death.

Financial firms that take on interns are being urged to take better care of their young graduates.

Chris Roebuck, a visiting professor at Cass Business School said some young people don’t know when to stop: “There are a percentage of these people who are so driven and so competitive they have the ability to push themselves past their own physical limits, because they are not aware of those limits, because they are so young. And it’s your responsibility as the team leader, or as a colleague in the same team, to keep an eye on these young people to make sure they are OK.”

There are concerns about an “extreme hours” culture where interns feel obliged to impress, hoping to secure a job at the world’s top banks.

Some UK politicians have called for a reform of the industry so that banks are forced to ensure their staff are not worked to exhaustion.